Gear-shift lock



Aug. 4, 1925. 1,548,525

F. E. HA NCOCK GEAR SHIFT LOCK Filed March 15. 1923 3 Sheets-Sheet l Ill IHIIHHHI Aug. 4, 1925. 1,548,525

F. E. HANCOCK GEAR SHIFT LOCK Filed March 15, 1923 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Aug. 4, 1925.

ream: n mcocx, or sum momca, cams-am GEAR-SHIFT LOCK.-

Application filed March 15, 1923. Serial No. 625,122.

To all whom. it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK E. Hancock, a citizen of the United States, res1d1ng at Santa Monica, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Gear-Shift Locks, of which the following 1s a specification.

This invention relates toautomobile ac-' cessories and uipment, and more particularly to autom dbile locks. An object of the present invention is to provide an improved gear shift lock.

Another object is to provide a gear shift lock that may be readi y applied to standard' forms of gear shift mechanisms of automobiles.

Another object of the invention is to provide a keyless gear shift lock mechanism.

Other objects and advantages will be made manifest in the following specification of an embodiment of the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a vertical section and elevational view of the improved device showing the lock elements in shift-preventing position.

Fig. 2 is a sectional detail view showing the parts in gear shift connecting position.

Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view of the lock mechanism.

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the upper end of the gear shift lever and the lock.

Fig. 5 is a cross section on line 5-5 of Figure 3.

Fig. 6 is a cross section on line 66 of Figure 3. I

Fig. 7 is a plan of one of the tumblers.

Fig. 8 is a cross section on line 88 of Fi re 7.

1g. 9 is a cross section on line 9-9 of Figure 7.

Fig. 10 is a side elevation and sectional view showin a modified form of the shift lever connecting element.

The present invention is shown as com bined with a conventional form of s eed changing transmission gears generally mdicated at T, the gears of this mechanism being adapted to be rendered effective and shiftable when a connecting bolt 2 is interlocked in a complementary keeper 3 which actuates the sliding gear set.

The invention consists of means for setting and retracting the connecting bolt 2 and for locking the bolt retracted or dies connected position and thereby prevent unlicensed or unauthorized operation of the gears.

The belt 2 is shown as being slidably mountedm tubular lever 4, which may be pivotally mounted at 5 on a cap 6 forming a part of the transmission box. The upper end of the bolt 2 is provided with a cross pm 7 passing through a shank 8, thelower end of whlchmay be chambered at 9 to receive the bolt 2, the shank preferably forming the upper end of the lever 4. The lever shank 1s provided with opposite slots 10 through which the pin 7 projects, and on the ends of the pin 1s mounted a collar 11 which slides on t e lever shank.

The collar 11 is encased by the lower end of a cylindrical shell 12 having a contracted hub 13 turnably fittin on the upper end of the lever 4. The shell 12 is provided with a graduated ring or face 14, which may have index members 15. The upper end of the shell is closed by a plug 16 which is keyed at 17 to the shank 8 of the shift lever 4 and is provided with an indexed graduated face 17 coordinate to the index 14 of the shell.

The shell 12 is rotativel mounted as to the plug 16 and is retained in combination therewith as by an expansion or spring ring 18 mounted in opposed ooves provided therefor in the meeting faces of the hub and the shell.

Below the plug 16 and within the shell 12 there is formed a tumbler chamber, and in- -this there is arranged a suitable tumbler mechanism including, for instance, a master' disk 20 which is keyed at 21 to the shell and is provided in its lower face with a plln 22 designed to move downwardly into eit er of a pair of grooves 24 or 24 provided therefor in the top face of the next lower disk'tumbler 23, so that when the pin 22 is in abutting engagement with the shoulder 24, Figure 7 at the end of one of the grooves, the tumbler 23 can be rotated by rotation of the shell 12. There is provided a plurality of tumblers similar to tumbler 23, which are adapted to be relatively locked to the shell by the locking pins 22, so that by a proper mani ulation of the several disks by rotation of t e shell 12, certain locking pins 25, which are slidably mounted radially in the lever shank 8, can all be pressed inwardly so as to provide for a longitudinal sliding movement of the shell with the tumblers on the shank. The several "tumblers are provided with cam faces 26 having high spots which, when registered with the locking P1118 25, hold the pins in innermost positions and thus disconnect the lever shank from the several tumblers; the cam faces 26 being positioned by relative rotation of the tumblers 23 and which positions are determined accordmg to a given combination. To effect the combination the shell 12 is rotated in one dlrection or the other, according to a glven 1ndex formula, the several positionsof the shell being determined by the registering of the combination dials 15 and 17 on the look.

When the locking pins 25 have been thrust into their innermost positions,- the shell 12 with the disks unlocked, can be bodily shifted upwardly along the shank 8, and with this movement the pm 7 serves to pull the locking bolt 2 upwardly to the position shown in Figure 1, at WhlCh time it will be disengaged from the keeper or connecting device 3 with the result that the gear shift mechanism will be rendered inoperative.

When the combination lock above described has been manipulated and the looking bolt 2 withdrawn, it will be seen that operation of the transmission mechanism 18 rendered impossible, and in order to connect the shift lever and the transmission it is necessary to again manipulate the look so as to permit the downward movement of the shift lever locking bolt 2 to engagethe transmission, after which the transmission can be actuated in the usual manner.

A feature of the invention is to provide means for eliminating springs in a combination lock. The shank 8 together with the tumblers 23, the master tumbler 20 and the pins 22 and 25 are all magnetized. The con-- necting pins 22 are housed within the tumblers 23 and are surrounded by jackets 22 of copper, bronze or similar non-magnetic material. The pins 25 are also provided with jackets designated at 22 in Fig. 3, of similar non-magnetic material disposed within the shank 8.

The operation of the device is as follows: In order to lift the bolt 2, the shell 12 is rotated and in this case where four tumblers are used, it is necessary to give the shell 12 four complete revolutions. Upon the first revolution, the pin 22, disposed within the master tumbler 20, is drawn into engagement with the uppermost tumbler 23 by means of the magnetism of the uppermost tumbler. It is seen that by providing-the pin 22 with a jacket of non-magnetic material, the attraction-of this pin to the tumbler 23 will be greater than toward the master tumbler 20'. 'This pin 22 is drawn towards the tumbler 23 and upon rotation of course press the pin 25 into the shank 8.

The shell may then be rotated in the opposite direction and the pin 22, which was previously engaging the shoulder 24 in the slot 24 will be caused to rise because of the fact that the grooves 24 and 24 have downwardly slanting bottoms, that is, the end of the groove opposite the shoulder 24 is substantially flush with the upper surface of the tumbler.

The shell upon being rotated in the opposite direction from that in which it was initially rotated in order to engage all of the tumblers, will cause the pin 22 to engage the shoulder of the groove 24 and cause its rotation in the opposite direction, whereby it may be set according to the dial. In a like manner all of the tumblers may be set by means of rotating the shell 12 first in one direction and then in the other, and the pins 25 of each tumbler will be caused to be pressed into the shank 8 by the cam faces 26, whereby the shell may be bodily lifted together with the tumblers and with the bolt 2.

To lock the lock it is merely necessary to give the shell 12 a turn, which will displace one or more of the cam faces 26 awa from the ends of the pins 25. Because of t e fact thatthe tumblers are magnetized, the pins 25 will be withdrawn from their non-magnetic jackets 22 within the shank 8 and will prevent axial movement of the shell 12.

Each tumbler 23 is provided with a casing 27, also of non-magnetic material, which will reduce the magnetic attraction between the respective tumblers. By having this magnetic attraction reduced, the lowermost tumbler, when it is once set, will tend. to stay set because of friction and also because of the magnetic attraction of the tumbler for the magnetized shank 8 and will permit the tumblers 23 thereabove to be turned without rotating such bottom tumbler 23.

- In Figure 10, there is shown a construction in which the locking plunger 2 is connected by flexible means to the pin 7, since the shift lever 4 is provided with a bend 4 and necessitates a jointed or flexible medium capable of moving longitudinally in the bend. The flexible device may comprise a core wire 2' upon which maybe threaded. a

series of balls 2. This construction provides for the longitudinal movement of the v plunger 2 as the lock shell is slipped up or down in the hollow lever 4.

Further embodiments, modifications and variations may be resorted to within the principle of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In a rotary tumbler, combination, keyless lock, a set of tumblers and tumbler connectin pins, said pins being magnetically effecte and bein movable under magnetic influence to the e ective position.

2. In a key-less combination lock, a set of movable tumblers and tumbler connecting pins, said pins being operative under magnetic action in their efi'ective movements.

3. In a key-less combination lock, a set of movable tumblers and tumbler connecting pins, said pins being operative under magnetic action in their effective movements, the pins being of magnetic material and the tumblers being magnetized so as to exert an attracting action on the said pins.

4. In a keyless combination look, a prima part, a set of movabletumblers and turn ler connecting pins associated with said primary part, sai pins being operative under magnetic action in their efiective movements, and locln'ng pins slidably mounted in said primary part and being magnetically actuated in movement in one direction.

5. In a keylesscombination lock, a plural ity of magnetic tumblers and means actuated under the magnetism of said tumblers for preventing movement of said tumblers relatively to each other in one direction.

6. In a combination lock','a plurality of magnetic tumblers, pins. housed within said tumblers, said pins adapted to be actuated under the magnetism of said tumblers preventing movement of said tumblers relatively to each other in one direction.

7 In a combination look, a primary part, a plurallty of magnetic tumblers associated with saidprimary part, means actuated under the magnetism of said tumblers for lock-* said sliding bolt, and magn ing said tumblers togetner a ainst relative 8. A combination lock comprising a pri- I mary part, tumblers disposed about said primary part, a shell disposed about said tumblers, said shell and tumblers being movable axially upon said primary part, and means for locking said tumblers. against axial movement upon said rimary part.

9. A combination ock comprising a primary part, tumblers disposed about said primary part, a shell disposed about said tumblers, said shell and tumblers being movable axially upon said primary part, and magnetic means for locking said tumblers against axial movement upon said primary part. I

10. A combination lock comprising a rimary part,-a sliding bolt disposed wit hin said primary part, tumblers associated with said primary part and movable axially'thereon, means for connecting said tumblers to etic means vfor locking said. tumblers against axial movement upon said primary part.

11. A combination lock comprising a primary part, a shell disposed about said primary part and movable axially thereon, a sliding bolt connected to said shell, tumblers disposed within said shell and engaging said primary part,ma etic means for locking one direction, and means for-locking said so saidtumblers against relative rotation in tumblers against axial movement upon saidprimary art.

12. A Eeyless combination lock comprising a prima part and magnetic tumblers e aging sai primary art.

n testimony whereo I have signed my name to this specification.

fl FRANK E. HANCOCK,- 

